A collector who works as a back room supervisor at Target. He mentioned the JOE and TCW numbers, so I asked him to check TVC numbers. The things you miss when you don't join the discussions on Twitter. _________________

That means there are only 5 more figures that they haven't shown us yet.

My hope for a Pong Krell figure in 2012 is starting to dwindle. And, I was hoping for an Umbaran soldier, and some clones from the 501st. Well, I've told myself to be thankful for the new ones that we do get, and to not focus on the negative. The glass is half full! Although I'd like to see more, we could be getting zero new figures, right?

Caped Crusader wrote:

A collector who works as a back room supervisor at Target. He mentioned the JOE and TCW numbers, so I asked him to check TVC numbers.

Good to know. I visited Target's website and looked up the number of stores they have in the United States. The number is 1,750. So, if Target stores are selling 10,000 units of TCW figures per week, that averages out to be about 5.74 figures per store, per week.

Well, I've told myself to be thankful for the new ones that we do get, and to not focus on the negative. The glass is half full! Although I'd like to see more, we could be getting zero new figures, right?

Great outlook.

I expect to see some killer toys come out of the G.I. JOE sequel this summer, so there will much fun to be had even if The Clone Wars doesn't deliver 30 or 40 figures in 2012._________________

Thinking about this some more, even if 19 "planned for 2012" means 19 actually being released in 2012, that wouldn't be as disappointing if the phase II Clone Trooper is released with different paint decos (501st, 212th, etc.) for lots of army building._________________

...if the phase II Clone Trooper is released with different paint decos (501st, 212th, etc.) for lots of army building.

I'd buy repaints of that clone trooper mold, especially troopers from the 501st. As I wrote in a previous post, I would love to have phase 2 versions of the 501st troopers we are seeing in the Umbara story-arc, such as Hardcase, Kix, Jesse, Fives, Tup and Dogma. We might see some of these guys in 2012, since there are five more figures yet to be revealed.

QUESTION: Can you discuss the difficulties that have occurred in bringing Ziro the Hutt to the marketplace? We were told at first that Ziro was coming as a mailaway, but for some reason was bumped in favor of Sgt. Bric. Then we heard he might be coming as a store exclusive, but that never panned out. Many fans wanted to vote for Ziro in the current Fan's Choice poll, but were disappointed when told that oversized figures such as Ziro were not eligible to be nominated. Since a Clone Wars style Hutt mold already exists (Jabba), couldn't that mold be used with redeco and minor tweaks to create Ziro as a store or Celebration exclusive? Are there factors delaying the release of this crucial and popular character that we are not aware of?

ANSWER: Since Ziro is an oversized figure he does not fit on a single card, but he could be an option as an exclusive in the future.

QUESTION: Lucasfilm is all of a sudden talking about the February 2012 cinema release of Episode I in 3D as an experiment -- one that, should it not live up to their expectations, will end the Saga's theatrical re-release train then and there. They've also said that the live-action TV series is on hold at least a few more years. Should the 3D release not pan out, that would leave only the Blu-Ray release as major entertainment support for the realistic incarnation of the brand. Granted, Hasbro's Star Wars line has survived plenty of waves without entertainment support, but the state of the toy industry seems more brutal, more dire than before. What is Hasbro looking forward to using as support for the main Star Wars movie line should the 3D movie release not pan out? Hasbro hasn't done any major advertising for the main Star Wars movie line in a while, might there be a renewed push into that realm?

ANSWER: We are planning for a successful launch of Episode I in 3D in February 2012. Lucasfilm has not offically made any statements about further 3D movies or other entertainment. As fans can see from our 2012 product line, our strategy during the Episode I in 3D movie year is to focus our line against the six Star Wars movies, with a heavier emphasis on Ep I during the beginning of the year. Clone Wars animation themed product will be part of the line throughout the entire year, but it will represent a smaller portion of the line than in previous years.

QUESTION: At Comic-Con, we asked for an update about the "Mini-Rigs" of Clone Wars Boba Fett's Speeder Bike and the mini Republic Attack Shuttle, and we were assured they were coming. No new assortments have been listed, and no news has appeared-- can we get an update on these two?

ANSWER: At New York Comic-Con we confirmed that these vehicles were no longer in the line.

I'd buy repaints of that clone trooper mold, especially troopers from the 501st. As I wrote in a previous post, I would love to have phase 2 versions of the 501st troopers we are seeing in the Umbara story-arc, such as Hardcase, Kix, Jesse, Fives, Tup and Dogma. We might see some of these guys in 2012, since there are five more figures yet to be revealed.

I could buy Aayla Secura and generic and named Clone Troopers all year. If nothing else, perhaps some repaints will make it into store exclusives later in 2012. With a phase I Hardcase coming, I doubt we'll see a phase II version so soon. Jesse, Kix, Fives, Tup, and Dogma would all be great, though._________________

If nothing else, perhaps some repaints will make it into store exclusives later in 2012. With a phase I Hardcase coming, I doubt we'll see a phase II version so soon. Jesse, Kix, Fives, Tup, and Dogma would all be great, though.

I think you are right about Hardcase: we will not being seeing a figure of him in his phase 2 armor next year. Heck, I would be excited to just get a generic 501st clone trooper in phase 2 armor. Add a Pong Krell figure, and an Umbaran soldier, and I would feel like the Umbara story-arc was well covered.

Here is a conversation that I had over at Rebelscum about whether or not Mother Talzin is going to be made:

darth_sidious wrote:

You never know with Hasbro these days, Hasbro have made a few minor characters into plastic so we can't rule her out completely. The longer the wait the less chance of seeing her made.

I wrote:

This character will not get made; not with Hasbro's new policy with regard to these TCW figures. They are not going to make a figure of female non-combatant. Heck, they even said in a recent Q&A that they are not going to make Ventress' fanblade starfighter because it belongs to a female antagonist. And you think that there is a breath of a chance that Talzin will be made? You know, that creepy old woman who just stands around and talks?

darth_sidious wrote:

I'm going to base my opinion and hopes of seeing this character on comments directly from Hasbro - they said they want to make her, so she has a chance. All the naysayers on this site are so tiring, you dont speak for Hasbro - I wish you'd all get that. No random user, with zero knowledge of what Hasbro actually has planned for the future can say with any certainty that this character wont be made.

I wrote:

Of course I don't speak for Hasbro. I am making an educated guess based on what they have been telling us about the line over the last year. Here's what they have said (emphasis mine):

"...We are focusing on major characters for Clone Wars and trimming back on the more obscure characters. We've found that kids don't value these tertiary characters, so there is a high risk of bottling up the line when they don't sell." (Q&A - 11/2010)

"Aside from Ahsoka, kids just don't respond to female figures all that well. With kids being the vast majority of the Clone Wars audience, we don't have the luxury of a lot of collector-targeted figures in the line." (Q&A - 11/2010)

"We are not considering doing Assajj's Fanblade fighter. As cool as we might think it is, it actually suffers as a kid vehicle given it's rather unusual shape and the fact it belongs to a female antagonist." (Q&A - 9/2010)

"However, given our shift in focus on characters and vehicles that can be seen in many episodes/storylines, items such as these that appear in shorter story arcs are not planned for the toy line." (Q&A - 6/2011)

Take these comments and add them to what we already know about the total offering for 2012. We're going to get 19 figures, 14 of which we have already seen. So, do you really think that Hasbro is going to use one of these few slots for an old woman who just stands around and does nothing? Talzin is in the same category as Jocasta Nu and Duchess Satine. And do you think that she'll make it into the line for 2013, an entire two years after her debut on the small screen. Highly unlikely. Sorry fans of Mother Talzin, but I feel confident predicting that this figure will not be made.

darth_sidious wrote:

None of those quotes have anything to do with the character we are discussing in this thread - Mother Talzin. If you pulled / transcribed all the quotes and comments that Hasbro has made about her, you'd see that they want to see her released - so your guess doesnt appear that educated. Likewise, if you're going to use the lame Jocasta Nu argument and just call her an 'old woman', then there is no point in discussing this further with you.

To all the fans of this character - continue to show your support and let Hasbro know that you agree with their comments and would like to see her made as well. Hopefully she'll appear again in season 4!

As much as I prefer to refrain from participating in the discussions there, I couldn't resist replying to that moron.

Great post over there! I thought that you'd enjoy that conversation, so that's why I posted it here.

I post over at Rebelscum when things get slow over here, like now, since there's very little news to talk about. But I didn't expect a moderator to get inexplicably emotional over the issue of whether or not Mother Talzin will be made into an action figure. It doesn't take an industry insider to know that Hasbro's focus has long since moved away from the production of such characters.